The Great Charter

1- The Magna Carta or the Great Charter is an English legal document written in 1215 which had a huge influence on the developing legal system of England.

2- King John of England (1166 - 1216) signed the Magna Carta after immense pressure from the Church and his barons which greatly reduced the power he held as King of England and allowed for the formation of a powerful parliament.

3- The Magna Carta was a collection of 37 English laws - some copied, some recollected, some old and some new.

4- The Magna Carta demonstrated that the power of the king could be limited by a written grant.

5- King John later abandoned the Magna Carta, triggering a war which lasted until his death in 1216.

6- His son, Henry III, took the throne, and reissued the Magna Carta in 1225, albeit in a different version.

7- Several more drafts of the Magna Carta were produced, enforcing its role in English society, until the final version was released by Edward I in 1297.